Brody's Notes... U. S. State Department Reviews Uganda's Trade Status

Graphic By D Lun Wong 

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 9 | In a written statement released early last week, the U. S. State Department called the “Anti-homosexuality Bill," pending in the Ugandan Parliament “a serious affront to internationally accepted human rights standards.”  This response followed a January 12th, 2010 letter, from Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who called for a review of Uganda’s preferred trade status under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which authorises duty-free importation of certain goods from preferred status countries. Commenting on the announcement by the State Department Senator Wyden remarked;

“The best trade policy is designed to improve human living standards, and AGOA does this,” Wyden said. “The Ugandan attack on their homosexual population is an offence against human liberty and must be opposed at every opportunity. This trade law presents just such an opportunity.” 

As a condition of receiving preferred status under AGOA, a country must not be engaged in “gross violations of internationally recognised human rights.” 

Wyden, who is chair of the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, sent the letter to Secretary Clinton and U. S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk asking the State Department to review the Ugandan proposal and to communicate with President Yoweri Museveni that passage of the bill will affect Uganda’s beneficiary status under AGOA. Wyden has repeatedly discussed this issue directly with Secretary Clinton and Mr. Kirk.

Additionally, the Department of State announced the launching of an inquiry into the practises of all African nations with respect to rights afforded to LGBT populations and the establishment of a task force to respond to LGBT issues worldwide.